Darkened Night
by ForeverFalling86
Summary: AU. Demons are slowly overtaking entire cities, ghosts driving out families from their homes, and vampires stalking the innocent in the night. Needless to say, a certain group of Russian Demon Hunters has never been busier.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! Well, this is my first AU story and I'm rather nervous…but still excited. I get so nervous writing new stories…especially the first chapter.**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Supernatural or Beyblade and won't own either of them for the duration of this story.**

**Warnings****: Rated T for **_**course language,**_** and **_**violence**_**…also possible gore. You never know.**

**Well, I think that about covers everything. So away we go!**

* * *

"I hate you," a voice rang out in the darkened house, easily heard over the still silence. "I really _fucking_ hate you."

The three Russians stood in the middle of the room trying to ignore the screeching and clawing sounds that were now coming from the door, the only thing that was shutting out whatever was on the main floor and keeping them safe in the basement.

"I mean, really hate. Hitler hated the Jews hate."

The door shook and rattled in its frame, sending wood splinters flying through the air and cascading down the flight of stairs.

"I said let's wait, let's look into it before we just going charging in. _But no_," the teen sneered. "You just had to rush in like a moron."

His two friends stood quietly, both sets of eyes staring up at the door clearly trying to figure a way out of their current situation. There was a loud cracking sound as the door began to give way quickly followed by the sound of three guns cocking.

"I swear if we make it out of here you'd better start running," the same voice growled angrily.

The salt that had been lining the doorway was cast astray as the door gave a final rattle before it was blown open sending debris flying. There was an unholy scream as a young woman appeared at the top of the stairs glaring down at them with cold, hate filled eyes. Her bleached image seemed to flicker in the half light as she twitched, her neck craning and fingers clenching.

There was a bang as one of the teens let a shot off. The bullet hit the woman in the chest making her scream in agony as it tore through her, leaving scorch marks to run up her pallid figure until she burst into a cloud of black dust.

The three watched cautiously as the particles in the air and scattered across the floor began to condense, the form of a woman beginning to take shape.

"And this is why we should have had a plan," Bryan spat.

"Okay look, I'm sorry," Tala snapped back, hoping to God that Spencer would hurry.

Kai rolled his eyes as he shot the woman again ignoring her screams of anguish as he did. "Will both of you just grow up and focus on the bigger problem? Like how we're going to get _out _of here?"

He stared his two friends down as he absentmindedly shot the reforming woman again not giving her time to regain her proper figure.

"You know what? Screw you Kai—

* * *

_Several hours earlier…_

* * *

He stared down at the map that was spread across the hood of his car as he grunted into his cell phone. The sun was beating down from overhead and the gravel crunched under his shoe as he shifted his weight to his other leg. The teen glanced up as a sparrow flew past his face and off in the direction of the few trees that lined the weathered road. The person on the other end of the line continued to drone on about directions, short cuts, death omens and such as his attention waned, flying away with the small bird.

"Are you even listening to me?!" The voice on the other end of the line hissed angrily.

They were in the middle of nowhere but soon to be somewhere seeing as they were slowly but surely making their way to a small town to the west. If he ever managed to get off of the phone they could be in the next town within two hours.

"Yes, I heard every word," he said easily as he turned to lean against the car.

"Then I expect a call once everything is said and done."

And with that _lovely_ parting the line went dead. He flipped the phone shut with a grumble, knowing he'd be dealing with some attitude later.

"Kai," Tala called from his place in the backseat with Bryan lounging at his side. "What's taking so long? Hurry the hell up."

The other shot him a glare before he simply leaned down to circle something on his map. Bryan sighed as he blew his bangs from his face for the fifth time. It was unseasonably hot for the time of year and he wasn't at all pleased with that fact. It didn't help matters that the air conditioning seemed to have given up and died on them.

"Well?" Spencer asked from the passenger seat, fanning himself with an old magazine. "What's going on?"

The map was folded neatly and tucked into a pant pocket before Kai seemed to deem them ready to hear his response. "Robert says that there's another job on the way to Kingsview."

The blonde quirked an eyebrow, "And…?"

"And we're taking it," the slate haired teen informed as if stating the obvious and slid into the driver's seat. "It's only a few hours away."

"How _many_ hours?" Tala asked as he leaned between the two front seats, "Because I'm driving."

Crimson eyes met with blue. "Three hours. And no way in hell."

"Why does he always get to drive?" the redhead growled as he turned to look pleadingly at Spencer.

It was unofficial, but understood between them that the blond was in charge whenever he happened to be with them. He wasn't necessarily the best Hunter out of all of them; in fact, he was probably the least experienced, but hell if he wasn't twice their size and not afraid to throw his weight around.

"Come on! Just for a while!"

The large Russian shrugged, "You want to drive you bring your own car."

Kai smirked as he pulled back onto the dusty road.

"I wouldn't mind driving," Bryan piped up.

His three friends turned to stare at him before they looked away.

"What? I'm a great driver!"

Yes, a wonderful driver. So wonderful in fact that he'd managed to total three cars in as many months. Not to say he was all _that_ horrible, he'd just apparently decided that street signs, lights and laws didn't apply to him. Horrible driver? No. Mildly insane? Undoubtedly.

"You're not driving," Kai answered flatly as he hit the accelerator.

"Fine, next time we're taking my car. This is bullshit," the lavender haired teen spat as he leaned back in his seat.

They'd been heading towards Kingsview for several weeks now but had yet to actually reach the small town. They'd heard through the grapevine that there were traces of demons in the area and coupled with the disappearances of several people, it was clear that something needed to be done. The only problem they seemed to be having was actually getting there.

As of late the number of jobs had easily tripled. If there wasn't a vampire in Blackwater that needed staking, there was a poltergeist that needed exorcising in Cape Dale. Demand for Hunters was at an all time high and business was booming, but everyone and their mother in their little community knew something was up. They just weren't entirely sure as to what.

The town that Robert had mentioned was a rather small one as most of the towns that far out into the country were. Robert was your average Hunter brought into the trade by his father who learned from his father, who'd learned from _his_ father, who learned from his mother— basically, he was old blood. Hunting was a family business most of the time. You might ask why, and the reason would be simple enough. Blood was thicker than water. That meant that generally when you tried to explain to the person exactly _why_ you'd just stabbed a priest through the chest with a wooden stake they might actually listen for a moment before they screamed and ran.

But back to Robert— he was what everyone liked to call 'the informant'. He knew every rumour that pertained to Hunting and knew every Hunter by name and phone number. Basically, if you needed to know something or even just needed a job, he was your man. A little stuck up maybe, but as Hunters went he was a pretty stand up guy through and through.

Stoneycreek, apparently home to a rather vicious spirit, was where he was sending them. It was approximately ten hours away from their actual destination but after two weeks of trying to get there, what was another day? And so they drove. And they drove…and they drove and they—

"Mother of God," Bryan sighed as he thumped his fist against Kai's headrest, "Are we there yet? It's been over three hours."

"Patience is a virtue," Tala mumbled under his breath as he repositioned himself in his seat, trying to get comfortable.

"Yeah well, it's one I don't have," Bryan spat back easily as he glared over at his friend.

"Among others…"

A fist fight broke out in the back of the car and not for the first time in the three hour and fifteen minute span that they'd been driving.

Kai tried to keep calm and watch the road as his friends continued to duke it out in his back seat. If he crashed the car now he'd never get his full license. He could only hope that the morons would die in the fiery wreck.

"Guys," Spencer yelled. "Knock it off! I swear to God, you two need to grow up."

He received a sharp shove to his seat as a reward for his troubles and soon his voice joined the din of yells and grunts that bounced around the car. Kai grumbled as he pulled off at the proper exit, trying to ignore the Russian insults that were flying and the shoe that had just landed in his lap.

Stoneycreek seemed to be a nice size town if the size of the local grocery store was anything to go by and in his experience it was. He stopped at the nearest light, ignoring the weight stares he felt coming from the car in the next lane. Really, he'd probably being staring too if the situations were reversed. When the light finally changed to green he took off, trying to pull the roadmap from his pocket as he gripped the wheel with one hand.

"A little help would be nice," he called as the virtue of someone's mother was questioned.

Spencer reached over and plucked the map from his grip before unfolding it against the dash. His eyes scanned the paper as he ran a finger along it.

"Turn…right up head."

Kai nodded as he turned, remembering his blinker and to check his blind spot.

"That was nice," Spencer acknowledged. "You're doing well, last time I was around you could barely steer straight. You just need to practice your parallel parking and you'll be ready for your test."

Spencer was what you might call a part timer which was _extremely_ rare in the Hunting world. He was a first generation Hunter who'd accidentally had a run in with a werewolf when he was younger, leaving him with a new knowledge of a world normally hidden from people's eyes. So when he wasn't in university back in Russian, he flew out to give them a hand with whatever jobs they had at the time.

They continued to navigate through the side roads trying to find the house that was being haunted. It was supposedly the ghost of a young woman by the name of Jocelyn Whitman who'd died back in the nineties.

"Did Rob mention where she was buried?" Tala asked from the back, apparently having tired with fighting Bryan.

"A cemetery about twenty minutes from here, but she's been cremated."

"Well crap."

Crap indeed. The rule of thumb when it came to hunting was burn first, ask questions later. The easiest way to get rid of an angry spirit was to find wherever the person had been buried, dig up the bones and perform a ritual of salting and burning the remains. Generally the body acted as an anchor for the ghosts to hold on to in order to manifest. Both salt and fire had purifying properties that destroyed the anchor and freed the spirit. The only problem was if a piece was missed. Whether it was a lock of hair kept by a family member or a fingernail left behind in the bathroom. Thankfully it rarely happened but when it did it was a lot of trouble to go through.

"Robert asked around though and he thinks its still in the house, whatever it is. No one requested any hair as a keepsake," Kai explained as he carefully pulled down another street.

"That makes our job a little easier," Tala sighed as they pulled up in front of the house.

It was a good sized Victorian style home with peeling white paint and a neglected garden with overgrown bushes. They parked across the street, not wanting to draw undue attention seeing as the house had been abandoned for some time.

Bryan was the first to jump out, eager to stretch his legs after the long ride. Spencer popped the trunk and pulled up the old rug that'd been laid across the bottom to reveal the small arsenal they had in stock. The blond easily picked up a small handgun— and now, you might be thinking: a gun? For a _ghost_? But these were no ordinary guns.

After many years of throwing handfuls of salt only to have it blown back into their faces because of the wind, Hunters had gotten fed up. Salt in the eyes not only burned like hell, but it sure didn't stop the ghost from throwing you down a flight of stairs. No one is exactly sure who started it, but someone eventually came up with the idea of modifying guns and bullets to handle rounds of salt. It was easy enough to buy the casings, so all you had to do was stuff them full with salt and away you went. No more dropping the bag of salt or accidentally spilling it when you tripped over an old doorjamb. Silver knives worked for just about everything too— well, not ghosts, but you couldn't go wrong with a good silver knife.

When everyone was ready they slunk their way over to the house in the waning light, looking for a way in as they did. It didn't take long for Tala to spot a small window that led into the basement hidden behind the unkempt grass of the backyard.

"Alright Kai," he nodded as he forced the screen off and opened the window. "Get going."

The slate haired teen glared before he passed his gun to Spencer and poked his head through.

"There's a bit of a drop," he observed as he turned around and went in feet first. The Russian resisted the urge to sneeze as dust tickled at his nose.

"Pass me my gun."

The blond did as he was asked and handed the weapon over.

"I'll get the back door," Kai called before his pale arm withdrew and he disappeared altogether into the home.

Spencer sighed as he followed after Tala and Bryan towards the front door. "He's looking so much older now."

Tala shrugged. "You've been gone a while. He was bound to change."

"Yeah, I suppose you've got a point."

"Alright," the redhead started, getting down the business. "You stay out here for now and make sure no one comes running if they hear anything."

"Shouldn't we come up with more of a plan first," Bryan suggested as he climbed the back steps. "We shouldn't just go rushing in."

"We'll be fine," Tala said, waving off his concerns. The other Russian glared as he waited for Kai to open the door.

"Fine. See if I care when you get your ginger ass killed."

"I wouldn't be talking _lavender_ boy," Kai's voice drawled as the back door was thrown open. "The EMF is going crazy so this thing is really here. Basement seemed clear," he added. "Though you never know I suppose."

Bryan poked his head into the darkened home, his nose wrinkling at the stale air.

"I'll head upstairs," he grunted as he quickly made his way to where he hoped the flight of stairs would be. "You two check out down here."

Tala rolled his eyes at the retreating back. "Alright, let's get to it."

The two waved to Spencer knowing that he'd charge in at the first sign of trouble.

"Be careful guys."

"Don't worry," Tala smirked. "We'll be fine."

"Famous last words," the blond muttered as the door swung shut behind the pair.

* * *

The hall was dark except for the small beams of moonlight that shone in through the dirty window panes as the two teens crept down the hall. They'd searched through almost all of the rooms that occupied the first floor and had yet to find anything; including Bryan for that matter.

"Kai," the elder's voice hissed into the musty air "Are you really sure its here?"

"Yes Tala," the other grunted back. "I'm positive. Now shut your mouth or she'll hear us."

"But Kai—

"Zip it."

A huff was heard along with the flick of a flashlight as it was switched on, illuminating the annoyed redhead.

"Look, we've been here for twenty minutes and there's been nothing. I say we go meet up with Bryan and—

His suggestion was cut off as the floor beneath his feet suddenly gave way with a great groan and crunch.

"Tala," Kai yelled as he lunged forward at the sound of a muffled bang.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he peered through the nicely sized hole that now occupied the space in front of him.

A moan was the first response he received. "Yeah…I think so."

The slate haired teen tested the floor around the hole. Completely solid.

"The floor shouldn't have broken like that," he muttered to himself as he examined the clean break in the wood. He poked his head through the hole again to find himself staring down at the familiar basement floor. With a quick glance he slipped through it after his friend, landing with a light thump on the cold concrete. Tala was brushing himself off as he held the flashlight in his mouth, a red splotch on his face that would surely darken into a bruise.

"Does it seem cold to you?" Kai asked as he concentrated for a moment, trying to judge the temperature before pulling out his EMF.

"It's a basement," the redhead drawled as he wiped the flashlight off in his shirt "Its not going to be hot."

"I mean abnormally, you moron," the slate haired Russian shot back as the small machine blinked to life.

The redhead considered it for a moment before slowly nodding. "It's about the same as it was up there…which is a little cold compared to outside." Tala acknowledged. "So…the cold spot is...covering the entire bottom floor."

"Great," Kai muttered as the EMF reflected his friend's words. "Just great. This thing came out of no where."

"Well, where the hell is Bryan?"

"I'm here," a voice suddenly called as boots clunked against the worn wood of the stairs. Bryan frowned at them for a moment as he flicked on his flashlight.

"You guys sure made one hell of a racket."

The teen's eyes narrowed as he glanced around the room, a look of confusion overtaking his face. "Why are you down here anyway?"

"_Someone_ fell through the floor," Kai said, staring pointedly at Tala.

"Seriously?" Bryan asked, tipping his flashlight to the ceiling, his eyes quickly following. "I didn't see a hole or anything."

And sure enough, the place where the large gaping hole had been was now seamlessly covered over.

"It's trying to corner us," Tala cursed as he slammed a hand into his back pocket to grab his salt container. "Someone call Spencer and tell him to get his ass in here."

Kai nodded as he pulled out his phone, a frown marring his face as he stared at the brightly lit screen. "I'm not getting a signal. I guess we're in a dead zone."

Tala swore loudly as he lined the doorway with salt. "We need a plan."

"A plan? Oh, you mean like I suggested earlier?!" Bryan yelled.

"Look," Kai sighed as he walked towards the far wall. "I'll just crawl back out the window, grab Spencer and go around through the door again."

His two friends glared.

"You just want to leave us here, don't you?"

"I'm the only one that'll fit through the window," the youngest teen said casually as he placed his gun on the sill. "Tala's the one who got us down here, and Bryan, you came down here on your own. I'm the least at fault. I say, it's only fair that I get to leave."

He nodded to himself as the two continued to weight him down with their heavy gazes.

"Nice try," Bryan replied flatly as he motioned for the teen to come back. "Just call out the window if you need to get his attention."

A screech suddenly cut through the musty air as the door began to rattle at the top of the stairs.

"Look, someone needs to go and find whatever that thing is using as an anchor," Kai argued as dust began to fall from the cobwebbed ceiling.

"Well, I checked the entire upstairs and didn't find anything," Bryan muttered as he chewed at the edge of his thumb. "Which means it's on the first."

"Along with her."

The lavender haired teen nodded. "Along with her."

"Go through the window," Tala started. "And call Spencer. We can explain, we'll keep her distracted and he'll try and find the anchor."

"He hasn't been on a hunt in over a year and you want to throw him to the dogs?" Bryan called.

The redhead shrugged as Kai slid the window open and hoisted himself up onto the small sill so that he was outside up to his shoulders. The door continued to tremble and groan under the force of the ghost's power, the noise raising hairs.

"Spencer!" Kai shouted over the din, trying to catch the blonde's attention. When he received no answer he called out once again only to find himself flung from the window before it was slammed shut with glass cracking force.

"She's locking the place down," he observed as he climbed to his feet, dusting off his clothes as he did.

"Just smash it if you need to," Tala said as he tried his own phone in vain.

Kai nodded as he went to smash the window with the butt of his gun. The sound of shattering glass met their ears along with a curse as a few shards bit into Kai's skin.

"Spencer," he called as he brushed away the shards from the sill and shimmied his way onto it.

"Kai?" the blonde's voice echoed through the night air.

"Get in here and find the damn anchor!"

"I'll be right there!"

There was a sudden popping sound as the three Russians were cast into darkness, their flashlights dying with barely a flicker. The horrid, ear grating screeching picked up again as the trio huddled together in the middle of the room, their eyes struggling to see in the scant moonlight.

With a great groan coming from the door, the room suddenly fell silent except for the far off sounds of Spencer trying to break the door down.

"I hate you," Bryan suddenly said, his voice easily carrying in the still air. "I really _fucking_ hate you."

* * *

Spencer swore as he tried once again to break the door down, his shoulder aching and surely bruised to the bone. Whatever was keeping the guys in the house was most definitely set on keeping him out.

He knew he couldn't fit through the small window to the basement like Kai could, and all of the others were sealed just as the door had been. Muffled shots suddenly reached his ears along with a terrible screeching that was sure to leave them ringing.

"God," he mumbled under his breath as he tried the door once again.

'Think like Bryan,' he thought to himself. 'What would Bryan do…?'

Blue eyes slowly strayed to the gun sitting cozy in his hand. He resisted the urge to smack himself with it.

* * *

"You know what? Screw you Kai," Tala sneered as he turned to glare at the younger teen. "Just shut up and do your job."

"I _am_ doing my job, and apparently I'm the only one!" the other commented as he shot the woman once again. "I seriously—

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as he was sent flying through the air and crashing into the back wall, his gun flying from his grip as stars burst behind his eyes. As the stars began to fade like dying fireworks from his vision, his eyes rolling as he tried to quicken the process. The Russian coughed as he tried to replace the air that had been knocked from his lungs, the taste of dust and old concrete lining his tongue, and filling his throat.

"Kai," Bryan called as he struggled to get a salt line set up as the container filled with the white mineral seemed to buck in his grip as if trying to escape him.

"Are you alright?"

Kai tried to respond but a wheeze was all that escaped him as tried to cough up whatever had managed to slip down his throat and into his lungs.

Tala clucked his tongue as he watched the younger Hunter spit onto the floors, holding out a hand to help him up. "Nice."

"Oh shut up," the other muttered back as he brushed of his pants.

"Can you two stop talking and fucking _help_ me?!" Bryan yelled, the salt container flying from his grasp as he tried to keep his footing.

Tala shot the ghostly woman once again, the bullet cutting through her rippling figure. Wind seemed to suddenly pick up from no where and swirl around them, tossing about all manner of debris and dust as it whipped at their clothes. Bryan hissed as the woman flickered out of sight, only to appear right in front of him. The Russian back pedaled as he raised him gun only to have it knocked away as a seemingly solid hand wrapped around his throat.

Tala lunged forward to go to his friend's aid as Kai went for the abandoned salt container. With a quick shot the woman once again scattered, the ashes repelling away from the circle of salt that Kai was drawing across the dirty concrete.

Tala pulled Bryan back into the protection of the completed circle, the black dust lumping together to take the woman's shape as he did. The lavender haired teen coughed as he rubbed at his throat, the ghost's screeches echoing in his ears.

"Well," Kai sighed as he plopped down on the floor. "Let's hope Spencer hurries up. I think I'm going deaf."

* * *

Spencer swore as he tripped over a doorjamb, catching himself on the wall before he took a tumble. He could hear the odd gun shot from the basement along with what he assumed to be the ghost woman's wails.

The blond crept over the creaky floors, trying not to draw attention to himself lest the ghost realize that there was someone else in the house. The back rooms seemed to be clear but that still left several more in the middle and front of the house for him to search. Really, the anchor could be anywhere. It could be in the air vents, down a drain. Frankly, he truly,_ truly_ hoped that it wasn't in some disgusting, dark, dank, smelly place. He wasn't too fond of the idea of sticking his hand into _any_ sort of plumbing.

Spencer sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "What happened to just keeping watch?"

* * *

Kai huffed from his place on the floor. "Well, now what?"

Tala rolled his eyes before he went back to watching the ghost who'd taken to ripping off chunks of wood from the ceiling and throwing them at his head. Bryan had pulled a deck of cards from his pocket and was now immersed in a game of Solitaire, swearing every so often as the wind picked up and scattered his cards.

Truth be told, Hunting wasn't _always_ all excitement. Every once and a while there came a time when all you could do was wait. Research wasn't exactly enjoyable either for that matter. They might not get paid like it was a real job, but Hunting was an occupation like anything else. It had its ups and its downs. The only _real_ difference was that the downs generally consisted of someone getting thrown out a fifth story window or maimed.

Bryan finally tossed aside the card he was holding as one pile was once again skewed by the wind. The wails of the woman continued to ring through their ears as she tossed various things at them.

"She's not the smartest one is she." He mused as he tilted to the side to avoid an oncoming paint brush. "I thought she was supposed to be strong or something."

Kai shrugged as he began picking up the stray cards that had blown over to him, crimson eyes darting up every so often to watch the woman's movements. "Give it time, I think. Just because she's strong doesn't mean she's the sharpest tool. And personally, I'd rather she stayed that way."

It was almost as if Kai's words were a cue as a large box was sent spinning across the floor, scattering part of the salt line to nothing; breaking the circle.

Bryan let a choking sound escape his mouth as he blinked and suddenly found the ghost of Jocelyn Whitman right above him, her seemingly solid hand wrapped around his throat.

"Shit," Tala grumbled as he grabbed his gun and went over to help his friend.

Kai watched on as the two continued to struggle, stacking the stray cards carefully on his leg. They where sent flying as he tipped to the side, finding himself unable to hold his body up. It was as if the air was pressing down on his, constricting his chest and forcing him to the floor.

"What the hell," he forced out.

A quick glance to the side told him that Tala and Bryan were in a similar situation only they'd had the luck to get stuck in a tangle of limbs on the way down.

"She's screwing with us," Tala grunted as he tried to force Bryan off of his legs.

The pressure increased as Jocelyn laughed, her voice almost seeming to flicker in their ears. With a wave of her arms their guns were on the other end of the basement and their salt supply exploded in a cloud of white.

Kai winced at the strain being put on his ribs, vaguely wondering how much force it would take to crack them.

* * *

Spencer frowned as he shone his pen light down into the old drain. He hummed to himself as he wondered if he should just dismantle the plumbing…or maybe get a hook of some sort so he could snake it. The blond sighed as he clicked off the small light and leaned against the bathroom counter.

He'd checked all of the other rooms which meant that the anchor had to be in the bathroom. He glanced over once again at the sink, his blond eyes sinking down to follow the old piping before looking back to the pristine white of his shirt.

* * *

Kai swore he heard something crack as he tried to claw his way over to where his gun was lying. Bryan was beginning to turn a _lovely_ shade of blue as he clawed at the woman's hands, trying in vain to relieve the pressure.

Tala was trying to scrape together some salt off of the dusty concrete, ignoring the awful sounds Bryan was letting out as he struggled for air.

"Don't be sad," the woman whispered into Bryan's ear as his head began to lull to the side. "They'll join you soon."

Kai hissed in pain, his nails torn and bloody as he attempted to drag himself forwards. Tala seemed to have finally grabbed enough salt and he managed to toss it at the ghost, hitting her dead in the face. The woman reeled back, her hands slipping from Bryan's neck as she did. The lavender haired teen gasped loudly, his chest rising and falling franticly as he struggled to regulate his breathing.

"Crap," the redhead groaned from his place on the floor, cradling the arm with which he'd thrown the salt, his muscles overtaxed and aching.

Jocelyn screeched as she shook off the salt, his nails reaching forward to rake across Tala's face.

Kai was barely making any progress, but at least it was something. The pressure seemed to wane for a moment as the ghost went about trying to claw Tala's eyes out and with a strengthening breath Kai lunged towards his gun.

A smile cracked across his face as he felt his fingers wrap around the metal, the coldness stinging his palm. It took him a moment to work up the strength to turn his body around but when he did the sight of Tala's bloody face met his eyes. His arms were screaming with pain, the pressure bearing down on them as he pulled the trigger.

Tala clutched his face in his bloody hands as the woman exploded into a cloud of dust and the pressure suddenly disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Bryan asked as he tried to pry his friend's hands away.

"Stop!"

"Let me see you moron!"

Kai stumbled around trying to sweep together as much salt as he could, eyes watching wearily as the woman began to reform yet again.

* * *

Spencer resisted the urge to groan as he pulled a large clump of hair from the trap in the plumbing. He gagged as he flicked it onto the floor, his fingers twitching as a few strands clung to them.

When he'd finally managed to rid himself of all the stray hairs he dug into his pocket to pull out his lighter. With a flick he leaned down and easily lit the hair. Spencer sighed as he leaned back and watched it burn before he glanced out the door. It was… surprisingly quiet.

"I wonder how they managed," he mumbled before wiping his hands on his pants and making his way towards the basement.

* * *

When the coalescing dust suddenly disappeared, they knew it was over.

"Oh Thank God," Kai sighed as he leaned against the wall, rubbing the salt from his hands.

"What'd you guys do to the door?" Spencer's voice called as he came down the stairs.

No one bothered to answer him as Bryan went about wiping some of the blood from Tala's face with the hem of his shirt.

"Jesus," the blond said as he hurried over to the pair. "What the hell happened?"

"That bitch happened," Tala answered, his voice slightly muffled. "Tried to claw my freaking eyes out!"

"Well she didn't do a very good job," Bryan grunted as he examined the long jagged cuts running down the redhead's cheeks. "They're bleeding a lot but I doubt they'll even scar."

"They'd better not!"

"Can we just get out of here?" Kai asked as he picked up their guns, wanting to get away as fast as possible.

Spencer easily hauled Tala to his feet with promises of Neosporin and bandages waiting for him in the car and began helping him up the stairs.

"Took him long enough," Bryan rasped conspiratorially as he followed after them. Kai nodded in agreement, too tired to speak and his legs protesting as he followed.

When they all finally made it out to the car Spencer offered to drive which they all readily agreed to. Kai took up the passenger seat as Bryan sat in the back with Tala both tending to various cuts and bruises.

"Don't forget to call Robert later, Kai," Spencer reminded as he pulled away from the curb. "He'll want to know how it went."

The slate haired Russian nodded, making a mental note to call once they'd found themselves a hotel for the night.

"Tell him next time he can find someone else to do his crap jobs!" Tala yelled from the back. "Every time he asks us to take over one, it goes bad. Like that time Bryan broke his arm, or when Kai fell out of that third story window and into that rose bush! The guy's a jinx."

Kai's nose scrunched at the memory of thorns in places where they _really_ shouldn't be. "He's got a point…"

"Of course I do," the redhead scoffed, holding a pad of gauze to his face. "Besides, every Hunter knows his entire family is bad luck. We were just unfortunate enough to team up with a guy whosefamily has had ties with his for generations."

All eyes looked to stare at Kai who easily glared back.

"I can't help it if our fathers were friends you dick. Our families have been working together since before the time of the Slayers. They'd kill me if I broke off ties now."

Tala shrugged, a smirk playing across his face. "Whatever you say."

"I'm serious; they might disown me if I screwed it up."

Tala nodded knowingly, "Uh huh. I doubt that sweet mother of yours would allow that."

"It's not my mother I'm worried about," Kai mumbled back as he slunk down in his seat. "My grandfather would have my head on a sliver platter and serve it at one of his parties. Hell, he'd probably feed it to the Jurgens as way of apology."

"Huh. I'd like to see that."

Kai turned in his seat to glare at the older teen, before settling back down. "You're a dick."

"So you've said."

Yet another fight broke out in the car, and it wouldn't be the last one in the time that it would take for them to reach their hotel.

**TBC?**

* * *

Well…that's chapter one. I always find the first chapter the most difficult to write but I usually get into the swing of things by Chapter 2. That is, if you want there to be a chapter to. So, to continue, or not to continue, that is the question. Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review,

ForeverFalling.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry about the long wait. I hope the long chapter makes up for it. Thanks to all those who reviewed!

**Warning: Violence, gore and a lot of swearing. **

* * *

As it would turn out, when Kai finally _did_ get around to calling Robert, he was actually quite pissed. About what exactly, no one was really sure. After all the job had been completed, the cops hadn't been called and no one had been maimed. Overall, it'd been a pretty good day. So when Kai found himself once again on the receiving end of Robert's rather extensive vocabulary and harsh lit he couldn't help but wonder why exactly he was being berated. Maybe it was just the natural order of things. He called, Robert yelled.

Well, maybe it wasn't yelling. It was more like…being beaten over the head with a dictionary. Lord knew that Kai wasn't a moron, quite the opposite. But that didn't change the fact that after about the third sentence he'd lost himself to the avalanche of words that spilled from the other's lips and into the phone. Maybe he should invest in a dictionary…?

"Kai! Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes," the teen sighed as he resisted the urge to smack his head off the hood of the car. "I can hear every word you're saying."

Unfortunately.

More death threats met his ears followed quickly by a few more insults to his intelligence before a static sigh cut off the tirade.

"I got a call from McGregor."

"Oh?"

Johnny McGregor was a rather famous hunter and a nice enough guy if you could get passed the temper and the habit for throwing blunt objects at the nearest person as a way of stress relief. He'd built up a reputation for himself after he'd killed an entire nest of vampires singlehandedly. He'd then gone on to accidently burn down half of the town, but that part was generally left out for dramatic purposes. But ever since, if you had a vampire problem, he was your guy.

"Apparently he's been getting calls about an infestation a few towns over from you. There've been reports of about seven disappearances, two children, and the rest in their twenties. I need you to check it out."

Kai resisted then gave into the urge to huff. "We're supposed to be on our—

"Yes, yes, I know," the other cut him off. "But this takes priority."

The teen ran a hand through his hair as he stared off towards the diner where his friends were waiting. Bryan had noticed the quaint little spot from the road and decided that he'd earned himself some pie for his good behaviour. Meaning he hadn't hit Tala or sworn once in the span of an hour.

"Fine. Where is it?"

"Two towns over. Burmingham. Johnny was saying that it's some farm out near the town limits."

"And why the hell isn't _he _taking care of this? _He's_ Mr. Vampire Slayer."

He could practically hear Robert's smirk.

"Johnny is on vacation in Hawaii as we speak."

"So while I'm going to be up to my neck in vampires he's sitting on some beach?"

"I suppose so," the other chuckled. "Call me when it's all said and done."

And with that, the line went dead.

Kai growled as he slammed his phone shut, shoving it into his jean pocket as he kicked out at the pavement.

Today, they weren't exactly in the middle of nowhere, but apparently they were heading there. The heat of summer continued to bore down on them but it wasn't something a little air-conditioning couldn't solve. They'd been travelling for several days since the incident in Stoney Creek in the direction of Kingsview but it appeared as if they'd be taking a bit of a detour yet again.

The Russian sighed as he made his way out of the parking lot and into the cool comfort of the diner.

"Kai!" Tala called, waving him over to their table in the corner. "So? What's going on?"

The teen took his seat beside Spencer before he answered.

"There's a nest a few towns over that needs some taking care of."

"You mean he's sending us on another fucking assignment?" Bryan growled through a mouthful of pie.

Kai nodded as he reached over and took a sip from Spencer's water.

"McGregor got a call about it."

"Then why the hell isn't _he _taking care of it?"

"He's on vacation. Hawaii apparently."

"This time of year? Always knew that guy was a nut." Bryan muttered as he stabbed through a chunk of banana cream with his fork.

"Crazy Scottish freaks aside, what are we talking here? Five, ten?" Tala asked around the rim of his coffee.

"If they were trying to call McGregor in it's at least ten, maybe what, twelve?" Bryan estimated.

"Probably about right," Kai agreed as he stared down at the plate of food they'd taken the liberty of ordering him. "Grilled cheese? Seriously?"

"Stop complaining," Tala said. "I know you love it. You always had your mum making it for you when you were little."

"Tastes can change," he muttered before taking a bite.

But his love for grilled cheese sure hadn't.

"I don't understand why you're always letting Robert push you around. I get that your families are close, but still," Spencer sighed as he glared down at his now half empty water. "If he really bothers you that much, stop taking his calls."

"Ah, but there's the problem," Tala laughed, and banged his fist on the table causing Bryan to glare as his fork tumbled off the side. "The minute he stops his _lovely_ father will get a call from Robert's father and before you know it our young Kai here will be getting a lecture and an order to go home."

"It's like I said," Kai shrugged. "Our family ties go way back. Time of the Slayers. If I screw it up I'll be disowned."

Now, you may wonder what exactly the 'Time of the Slayers' is which leads back to another question about why they were called Hunters. Of all the possible names they could take on, they chose Hunters? Because really, Slayer sounded a lot cooler. Ghost busters…not so much. But you get the point. In actuality there was a perfectly logical explanation behind their title. While Slayer might have had a nice ring, it wasn't the most practical in the modern world although once upon a time, that had indeed been what they were called until around the early 1900's.

You see, when you were sitting in a restaurant catching up with an old friend and someone heard you ask, "So, how's the slaying been going?" or "Slain anything good lately?" they tended to ask questions. Or call the police. Slay just has such a…negative connotation nowadays. But asking, "How's the hunting going?" Well, that might not hold up very well with any animal rights activists in the vicinity but it got them by. So eventually after countless incidents involving suspicious police and horrified townspeople, someone had come up with the idea to change the name. Smart move on their part.

"I hate vampires," Bryan grumbled as he stared down at his now retrieved fork, debating on whether or not it was still safe to use. "Why couldn't it be a coven of witches? I like witches."

He may have liked witches, but witches did _not _like him if an incident a few years back was any indication. He didn't like to talk about it. But that didn't stop the rest of them from laughing over the pictures when they needed a good chuckle.

Now, Bryan was a glutton for punishment and despite the fact that he was a great Hunter he was much like an old, stubborn dog in the fact that he just never learned. Which meant that if you put him within twenty feet of a witch he'd go running. He said it had something to do with the magic that they exuded and the thrill of trying to get close enough to feel it. Tala said it had something to do with the amount of leather they wore. Needless to say, they'd had to start turning down jobs that involved covens, much to Bryan's displeasure. It really was for his own good. Friends didn't let friends get cursed by a witch...twice. The first time...well, he'd deserved that one.

"When are we leaving?" Spencer asked as he finished off his water.

"Now if we want to make it before dark and find a decent hotel." Kai said as he stood.

"Alright," Tala said in a pained voice as he cracked his back. "Let's hit the road."

"Can't I at least finish my pie?" Bryan asked as he stared down at the half eaten slice.

The redhead grabbed his friend by the arm and hauled him to his feet.

"So that's a no?"

Yes, it was a no.

* * *

And so once again they found themselves travelling down a dusty road in the middle of nowhere on their way to somewhere so that they could get back to nowhere then...head on to somewhere? It really was beginning to get rather complicated.

"So what's the name of this town?" Tala asked from his new spot in the passenger seat, fiddling with the radio.

"Burmingham," Kai said as he slapped away the redhead's hand. "Leave it alone. Sleep for a while or something; it's going to be a late night."

Now you see dealing with vampires wasn't easy, which is part of the reason why Johnny McGregor was as famous as he was. Sunlight could weaken a vampire sure, but otherwise, it didn't do jack shit. And a weakened vampire could still toss you through a wall. Garlic was a myth; it was actually a running gag amongst most vampires and a huge hit at parties— but anyway, there were only a few ways to deal with a vampire, one being Holy Water. To a vampire it was the equivalent to acid and a few Hunters out there had a knack for sneaking into their drinks and watching them fry as they writhed on the ground. Stakes to the heart worked as well but it could get a little messy because vampires could indeed bleed and blood spatter was a bitch to explain to anyone who might happen to see you after the fact. A crucifix didn't get the job done, but it was more potent than sunlight.

Vampires unlike most supernatural beings had a pack mentality that could only really be found in Werewolves. Nests could consist of anywhere from five to a hundred of them, but numbers generally stayed below the fifty mark to make their movements less noticeable. Vampires might have gotten a pretty bad rap but really, they kept to themselves for the most part. Before the urbanization began to really spread most had stuck to the wild and sucking the blood from animals. But of course, as builders started burning down the forests they'd had to take to the cities like most of the misplaced wildlife.

In actuality, for hundreds of years they'd been known for their habit of pranking the normal humans and running around in black cloaks late at night to scare people. Not exactly nice, but not stalk-a-man-in-the-dead-of-night-and-suck-his-blood-until-his-veins-are-dry-evil. It'd been a slow metamorphosis but over the span of about one hundred and fifty years some had become a real problem. Still, as they say: old habits die hard, which meant that normally nests tended to be out of the way, in more rural areas. But they were also close enough to the hunting grounds, namely the city of choice, so that they could commute back and forth easily enough. Because even vampires had to deal with the tanking economy and soaring gas prices.

"So what's the plan?" Spencer asked from the back seat, ignoring Bryan's feet which had somehow managed to find their way onto his lap while the other slept.

"We should probably stake out the area before hand," Tala laughed. "Get it; '_stake_ out' the area?"

"Yes Tala," the blond sighed. "We get it."

"We should be there in about an hour," Kai muttered as he flipped on his wipers to deal with the impending rain.

"Well let's find a hotel first," Spencer started. "Because _apparently_ Bryan's tired and I wouldn't mind grabbing dinner soon."

Tala hummed in agreement as the sky opened up and the downpour began to pound against the windows. The rest of the drive was relatively calm what with Bryan being asleep and Tala eventually nodding off as well, lulled by the sound of the rain.

* * *

Burmingham, despite its small size, seemed to be a bit of a party town. Bars lined the main street and people still crowded the sidewalks even in the rain.

"Must be because it's summer," Kai said as he stopped at a light. "I guess it's a tourist trap. Perfect for vampires."

"Perfect for us as well," Spencer pointed out. "No one will notice a few more faces passing through."

Believe it or not, Hunting wasn't exactly the most legal of occupations. And it was hard to explain to most officers why you had more guns, knives and bullets in your trunk than the average storm trooper. The whole underage part didn't help much either. Needless to say, Tala and Bryan both had records that included trespassing, breaking and entering, and assault that tracked them since their pre-teen years up until they'd teamed up with Kai.

Not only Kai's grandfather, but his father and his grandparents on his mother's side were rather influential people in both the political and the financial world. One mention of the last name Hiwatari and a flash of some ID and no one would touch the kid, or his friends. Of course that'd didn't work for the more serious charges like murder, but it kept them out of trouble for the most part. The only problem was that when someone saw you walking down the street holding a gun/knife, covered in blood, they tended to jump to conclusions. The conclusions mostly... being murder. So anonymity paid off in the end.

A hotel was easy enough to find and with a swipe of a credit card courtesy of Susumu Hiwatari, they'd booked a room for two nights.

"Are you sure two is enough?" Spencer asked as they made their way back to the car where Tala and Bryan were still sleeping.

Kai nodded. "Stake out tonight, get back, get some sleep, leave in the afternoon, kill them all, then head back for a good night's rest before we leave the next day. Sounds fine to me."

"It would," the blond sighed as they both got into the car.

* * *

As it would turn out, there were several different abandoned farms within the correct range of the town.

Tala huffed as he chomped his gum and stared through his night vision binoculars. "Did he seriously not give you any idea of which farm it was?"

"He said a farm out in the middle of nowhere. It just so happens, a few meet that description."

"Thirteen isn't a few Kai!" the redhead snapped as he tossed aside the binoculars only to have them hit Bryan across the head.

Yet another fist fight erupted in the back of the car despite Spencer's attempts to stop it.

"We've already crossed two off the list," the younger teen noted once everyone had settled. "That means we've only got eleven more and it's only twelve. We could be done by four."

Tala glared as he retrieved his binoculars, ignoring the bruise that was beginning to blossom across his face courtesy of Bryan's knee.

"Well, I'd say we can cross this place off as well," Spencer determined as he stared out of the window. "There hasn't been any movement yet."

Kai was silent as he turned the keys in the ignition and put the car into drive. "Maybe the next one hm?" he hummed quietly, ignoring the glare he received from Tala and the kick to his seat from Bryan.

* * *

It wound up taking them four different tries to find the farm that the vampires were using to house their nest. It wasn't overly large which led them to believe that the nest would most likely consist of thirteen vampires.

Bryan was once again asleep in the back of the car, Spencer functioning as his own personal footrest. All nighters had never been his thing. Bryan was the type of person who needed a good night's sleep or else he was even more impossible to deal with the next day. After years of experience the group had come to the decision to just let him rest when and where he wanted. He was too much of a hassle otherwise.

"So we'll come back in the afternoon?" Tala asked.

"Yeah, we'll get some sleep before we prepare and then we can head over when there's still a lot of time until dusk." Kai answered as he pulled off the old gravel road and onto the newer paved one, "We need to bless some more water and sharpen some stakes. We're running low."

"Why don't we just get water guns?"

"I'm sorry?" Kai asked a dark eyebrow quirking.

"For the Holy Water!"

"No."

"Oh come on, it'd be awesome and you know it'd work."

"It's actually not a bad idea," Spencer piped up from the back.

"Again, no."

"Why does he always get the final say?" Tala grumbled as he slouched down in his seat. "I have seniority."

"Well, _I_ have the credit cards."

Spencer sighed tiredly as the two began bickering like only old friends could. Truth be told, out of the entire group Kai and Tala had known each other the longest. Apparently they were related somehow. Cousins twice removed or something like that. Either way, when your family was old blood, you kept members very close. This meant that even though the blood between them was thin, they'd grown up seeing each other at Christmas and parties held throughout the year.

Because Tala was three years older he'd often had his 'little baby cousin' as he still sometimes referred to Kai in moments of lapsed judgment when he forgot that his 'little baby cousin' wasn't afraid to kick his ass— handed off to him to watch over while the adults socialized. They both had many other cousins, some closer in blood, but apparently none of the others had appealed to them. And so when Kai had finally broken out into the Hunting world at the tender age of twelve, it'd been Tala who had taken him under his wing. He had then introduced Kai to his good friend Bryan whom he'd met in elementary school and thus their little trio had been born, only to turn into a quartet when Spencer had been brought into the fold some years later. It'd taken quite a while for them to all settle in and get comfortable with one another, but once they had, they'd become thick as thieves.

"You're a dick."

"And you're an asshole."

Ah, the sound of friendship.

* * *

The hotel room was a decent size with two queen beds and a couch that Bryan quickly collapsed on the moment he was through the door.

Spencer would have a bed to himself while Tala and Kai would share for the night. Unfortunately, the blond had a snore that could wake the dead— _really_, there'd been an incident involving reanimated corpses a few months back. So needless to say the rest of the little group did their best to stay as far away from him as possible, even sleeping in the bathtub if there weren't enough beds. Luckily enough Bryan had the amazing skill of being able to sleep anywhere whether it was on the floor or hunched up in a bathtub.

Tala meanwhile insisted that he had a 'bad back' and therefore could only sleep comfortably on a nice soft bed. Kai just doubted the maids' cleaning ability and thus refused to sleep anywhere that another person's naked, possibly disease ridden body had been. Bryan had no such reservations.

"So who's blessing and who's sharpening?" Spencer called as he dumped a duffle bag on the wooden table that was situated next to the kitchenette.

"I'll sharpen but I'm not blessing," Tala said as he tossed himself down into a chair and grabbed a knife. "Latin gives me a headache."

"Well Kai, I guess that leaves you—

Spencer stopped as he caught sight of aforementioned teen sprawled across one of the beds already fast asleep.

"Alright...," he trailed off. "I suppose I'll sharpen then."

"Hey, if they both get to sleep how about—

"No Tala."

"Oh come on, you know you're tired too. We can do this all later."

"We can get it done now, and then sleep in."

"Yeah," Tala sighed. "I'm not really liking that idea."

"Tough luck."

And so the pair worked into the early hours of the morning, Spencer helping out with sharpening some stakes after he'd finished blessing several buckets and a bathtub full of water. Kai and Bryan slept through the night the latter only siring when some dust from the stakes irritated his nose.

Around nine the alarm on Kai's phone went off waking the teen with a jolt. With a glance around the room it was clear that he was the only one awake. Bryan was still lying on the couch while Spencer had taken the other bed. Tala meanwhile was sleeping next to him with the blankets wrapped tightly around his body. The youngest of the group sighed as he stood, careful not to disturb the bed's other occupant.

With a one curious glance into the tub he determined that he'd have to shower later because apparently someone had decided to fill it with what was most likely Holy Water. For a moment he entertained the thought of using that water to just wash his hair— a little shampoo mixed in wouldn't make it any less holy— but decided against it in the end in favour of the sink.

When all was said and done everyone was still fast asleep, leaving him the only one awake and slightly bored because of it. A quick look at the stove in the kitchenette told him it was only quarter to ten. But then again, if they wanted to really get a jump on things it'd be best if they left early. He made his way over to give Tala a shove only to have the other grumble and twist around in the blankets. He gave another hard shove watching Tala roll off the side of the bed and land with a thump on the carpeted floor. Oops.

The teen leaned over the bed to make sure that Tala hadn't banged his head on the bedside table on the way down.

"Tala," he finally called. The other refused to stir. "Tala. Wake the fuck up."

"Don't swear," the redhead grumbled. "It's too early for swearing."

"Get up you ass," Kai growled as he flopped down onto the bed they'd been sharing.

"Tala, just get up before he kills you," Bryan said as he sat up on the couch. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten."

The lavender haired Russian nodded as he stood and made his way into the bathroom.

"If you're taking a shower you're going to have to wash your hair in the sink," Spencer called as he stretched.

"Screw that!"

A splash met three sets of ears, a look of disgust slipping onto the blonde's face.

"Bryan? Are you bathing in my Holy Water?"

"Maybe."

Spencer bolted from the bed. "Bryan!" he shouted. "Get the hell out."

Tala sighed as he clambered off of the floor and back onto the bed. The sounds of a struggle filtered in from the bathroom as the pair continued to lie side by side.

"Out, out, out!"

"I've still got my clothes on."

"Clothes or not that's _Holy Water_!"

"Hey," they heard Bryan growl followed by several splashes and the sound of hands slipping along the slick insides of the tub as Spencer struggled to pull him out with little success. A few moments later a rather damp Spencer and completely drenched but refreshed looking Bryan emerged from the bathroom. The older was practically dragging Bryan by the neck of his shirt and tossed him onto the couch before grabbing a towel.

"Stay away from my Holy Water," he warned as he tried to dry off his hair.

"It's not like it isn't holy anymore," Bryan said as he shook out his hair, sending drops of water cascading through the air.

Kai gave a nod showing his agreement receiving a heated glare from Spencer as he did.

"Everyone get up, get dressed and grab some breakfast so we can get going," the blond sighed. "I want this to be done by dusk."

* * *

"So uh...what's the deal with these guys?" Tala asked, breaking the heavy silence that had been with them since they'd all piled into the car.

"Seven disappearances," Kai said as he signalled and turned a corner. "Probably a few more by now. Robert was saying that they'd taken some kids."

"Those bastards are taking _kids_?" Bryan hissed as he leaned between the two front seats, ignoring Spencer's tugging at his seatbelt to try and make him sit back.

Surprisingly enough, Bryan had a soft spot when it came to children. He'd even completed his mandatory community service hours for high school at a local orphanage. He might have acted like an ass sometimes...most of the time really, but he was a decent guy. Maybe one of the best any of them had ever met. He was _definitely_ an ass, but he was a protective, loyal, caring ass, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Spencer finally managed to make him sit back, muttering about safety and such.

"So, plan?" Bryan asked, a glint of malicious excitement in his eyes.

"Go in. Kill them all," Kai said simply.

"I'm fine with that."

"We need an _actual_ plan," Spencer sighed. "Are we splitting up or staying together? Going in from the front, or the back?"

"Split," Tala answered as he toyed with a stake. "If there are a lot of them chances are they're not all going to be sleeping in the same area. And this place is in the middle of nowhere. No point being all sneaky about it, it's not like anyone's going to see us heading in."

"What about guards," the blond started. "There's no way they're just sitting around defenceless."

"We take them out first," the redhead answered casually. "Kill any vampire on sight, and look for survivors just in case they're being saved for a special occasion."

"We need to grab the bodies afterwards," Bryan muttered, light eyes staring out of the window, focused on something none of them could see. "Those kids deserve to make it back to their families. Be buried properly."

"Don't worry," Tala assured him quietly, his knuckles a burning white as his hand tensed around the cold wood of a stake.

"We'll get them back."

* * *

While the water gun idea had been a rather practical one, most people just stuck with a flask or three. There was a bit of tradition when it came to Hunting although change _was_ inevitable. Still, there was a certain 'My father killed vampires this way, my father's father killed vampires this way and my father's, father's _father's_ father killed vampire this way. It works. Screw technology. Fuck change.' attitude amongst most people.

Kai tossed Spencer a flask of Holy Water as Bryan grabbed a thick belt lined with stakes and easily slipped it over his shoulder and under his other arm, muttering as Tala tightened it for him.

"See any signs of the lookouts?" Spencer asked as his own eyes scanned the area. Trees and shrubs lined the edges of the road on either side providing perfect cover for guards.

Kai shook his head as he grabbed his own belt, the leather warming under his touch.

"Maybe they're farther in," he suggested. "Considering the location we can assume that they don't get a lot of people out here. They could stick closer to the nest."

The dirt road that led up to the farm wound through a bit of forest, slinking across the tree line before winding out again. As the sun beat down on them from overhead they continued to prepare, hanging talismans from their necks and whispering the Latin prayers of protection.

Bryan secured a crossbow to his back before he slammed the trunk shut and locked up the car. Kai glanced down the road for a moment, a frown overtaking his face.

"I'm not sure if we can park here."

Tala rolled his eyes as he grabbed Kai by the elbow and led him across the street. The gravel crunched under their feet but the air was still, almost eerily so. They could see clouds rolling in from the west foretelling of the evening storm that was sure to hit.

"The trees are going to get in the way," Bryan noted as he began making his way up the drive ahead of the others. Kai hummed in agreement as he quickly followed, Spencer and Tala taking up the rear.

The trees cast shadows over them as they crept through the forested area as quickly as they could. The group of Russians remained silent, even their footsteps easily muffled from years of practice. Kai scanned the trees, looking for hints of clothing or hair, anything that would betray a vampire's presence. Red eyes followed the movement of Bryan's arm as he pulled the crossbow from his back, watched as the muscles in his other arm tensed as it grabbed an arrow from his quiver. The arrowhead glistened in the half light, the Holy Water it was coated in shining. Bryan let the arrow launch through the air only to be rewarded with a hiss of pain and a thump as a body suddenly fell from a nearby tree.

Kai made his way over, staring down at the unconscious man who was lying in the dirt.

"Do you think I got him in time?" Bryan called.

Kai reached down and grabbed a two way radio from the man's back pocket. "Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see."

The woods remained quiet, not even the wind or birds daring to disturb the stillness that had befallen the area. Bryan continued to scout ahead of the rest of the group, eyes scanning the trees to seek out any other vampires concealed within their branches. When the farm house finally came into sight it was easy enough to see that no one had inhabited the dilapidated home in some time. The dirt path forked, one way leading up to an old garage and the other continuing to wind in and out of the tree-line.

Tala ran his fingers over the road as the others watched out for any company that might pop up. "This road hasn't been used in a long while. The tire tracks might be hard to make out, but they're definitely heading up to whatever's at the end of the other way."

Spencer squinted off into the distance. "If this is the house, I'd imagine that the barn would be out there or another old garage for the farm equipment."

Tala nodded as he wiped the dirt from his fingers onto his jeans. They followed the unpaved road for a few more minutes encountering nothing except for an overly friendly squirrel that seemed to have decided that Kai was its new best friend. When what turned out to be the barn came into sight and Kai had finally lost his new BFF, the group slunk back into the trees to hide themselves.

"Alright, there should be a back entrance, so two from the front, two from the back," Tala said, his gaze wandering the structure. "I don't think there's a second floor, or at least not a full one. Maybe a loft but nothing more."

"What about a basement?" Bryan asked.

"How the hell should _I _know?" the redhead growled. "Do I look like an expert on barn architecture?"

The other rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore his friend rather than waste his time arguing.

"Let's just go," Spencer ordered as he grabbed Bryan by his arm and began dragging him off towards the back entrance.

Kai allowed Tala to lead the way towards the front door, still carefully scanning the area as they went. As the redhead wrapped his hand around the handle Kai pulled his lock kit from his back pocket and quickly went to work. The door was unlocked in less than ten seconds and Tala eased it open to prevent any noise that it might make.

Kai slipped through first, the older Russian following swiftly after him. Although it was midday the inside of the barn was rather dark, the light from the few windows stifled by thick lengths of cloth. The entire building was mostly one floor, there were only two doors leading off to other rooms and a staircase on their left led up to a loft that covered the back half of the barn. Given the angle of the sun the light that shone through the crack of the door wasn't all that bright but with the darkness of the room it still sent a long sliver of light across the floor. As the pair watched a small sliver of light appeared from the opposite end of the barn as Spencer and Bryan slipped in with barely a sound.

Kai pulled a stake from his belt as he crept forward without the protest of any of the old floorboards. He could just make out the slumbering face of the nearest vampire, the man's lips crusted with the dirty brown of dried blood. The teen had never liked vampires. Unlike most of the creatures they dealt with vampires hid their dark nature behind a human face. Believe it or not, it wasn't the supernatural strength, healing abilities or sharpened teeth that were a vampire's greatest asset but their face. Out of all of their skills, their face was truly what proved time and time again to serve them the best, or rather, the emotions that it inspired. Many a Hunter had been killed when hesitating to deal the final blow. Killing a grotesque monster, or exercising a ghost was one thing, but killing a vampire always proved to be difficult. It was always hard to kill something that looked _so much_ like you. Killing a Wendigo or a Bloody-Bones wasn't murder, but killing a vampire...well, sometimes in the heat of the moment it could be rather hard to tell.

Kai pursed his lips, refusing to let out a curse as he plunged the stake into the vampire's heart killing him before he had the chance to wake, hearing the crunch of bone and feeling flesh give way to wood. Tala was close behind him, easily taking out another, this one a woman. Kai almost jumped when there was suddenly a loud creak that echoed through the darkened barn, ruining the heavy silence that had blanketed it. Crimson eyes slowly shifted to the top of the stairs, landing on the figure of a rather angry looking man.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" He hissed his voice low and seething.

Kai heard Bryan swear from the other side of the barn as he shoved a stake through the heart of one of the stirring creatures. Spencer quickly dispatched the nearest vampire as he pulled a flask of Holy Water from his pocket and pulled another stake from his belt. Even with the ones they had managed to kill there were still about six vampires to their four Hunters. The vampire who'd now descended the stairs with liquid grace and glowing eyes glared out at the room's occupants.

"Why the hell didn't I hear about this? Michael, care to explain?" he asked, his eyes straying to another vampire who was slowly standing, carefully edging away from Bryan.

"I didn't hear anything from Jason. There was no warning."

The apparent leader smirked, his gaze falling on Kai. "Well, I suppose we get an early breakfast then hm?"

A few of the other members of the nest kicked aside the corpses of their former friends.

"Alright everybody," the leader called as he clapped to get their attention. "Three and three! You know the drill. You kill it, you eat it. No complaints. And Natasha," he added, speaking pointedly to a woman at the far right. "You're on clean up duty today."

The woman cursed quietly earning herself a glare.

Kai looked to Tala who was readying himself for a fight. The pair shared a glance before they each dove to opposite sides.

* * *

On the other side of the barn Spencer flung Holy Water into the eyes of the nearest vampire, watching as he howled in pain. Bryan was busy avoiding a rather burly man who was trying to clamp down on his arm. The Russian punched out at his attacker's face, smirking when he heard the distinct sound of snapping bone.

Instead of backing down the man seemed to use the pain to fuel his anger, lashing out at Bryan and finally striking him in the chest. Spencer easily caught his friend as he toppled, taking a hit to his side for his trouble. The blond gave Bryan a quick shove before he was forced to strike out at one of his assailants' arms as it came swinging towards his face. Now that Bryan had caught his footing again he pulled another stake from his belt resisting the urge to groan when he noticed that the man he'd been fighting had suddenly been replaced by a rather tiny woman. She grinned up at him, baring her fangs in a rather unpleasant manner. He swung out at her only to have her duck away, the stake catching the ends of her hair.

"Aren't we angry," the woman purred as she darted around him. "I do enjoy the feisty ones."

"Oh shut the fuck up," Bryan growled as he lunged forward, just brushing her neck with the sharpened tip of his stake.

"You shouldn't swear at a lady," a voice growled from behind him. Well, that answered the question as to where the guy had fucking gone.

"She's no lady," Bryan grunted as he ducked under the man's swinging arms and punched him in the stomach following it up with a stake.

"Matthew!" the woman howled as the other vampire went down, clutching at his bloody abdomen as he did. "You _bastard_!"

He barely managed to jump back as her nails swept through the place where his face had just been.

"_I'll kill you_!" she hissed, her fangs pricking her lips, smearing them with ruby red blood.

Spencer was rather busy being strangled by his opponent to give Bryan a hand.

"Not so tough I see," the vampire baring the name Michael laughed as the blond tried to reach one of his weapons.

Michael easily caught the hand his own free one. "Maybe I should break this hm?"

Spencer growled as he launched himself forward, catching Michael in the chin with his head. The vampire released him with a gasp, blood dripping from his mouth from where he'd bitten through his tongue. Spencer quickly got to his feet and flung himself at the equally large man, knocking him to the floor resulting in a dirt raising collision. Claws raked across his face leaving angry red scores in their wake. The Russian growled as he tried to pin the vampire using the weight of his body alone so as to free up one of his hands.

"Spencer," he heard Bryan call. "Give me a hand!"

"I'm a little busy right now," the older yelled as the pinned creature snapped at his exposed neck.

Sharp teeth suddenly clamped down on his shoulder sending a wave of pain rippling through his body.

"Fuck!"

He smashed a fist that had been attempting to restrain the vampire into a dark haired head letting a yelp when the teeth clamped down harder.

Bryan looked over from where he was being held in a headlock to see Spencer's opponent attached to his shoulder. The lavender haired teen swore as he slammed his elbow into the woman's solar plexus. She let go with a gasp of pain as he ripped a stake from his belt. With a thrust the wooden instrument had skewered her through the heart and she was crashing into the fallen body of her comrade. Seeing his opening to kill two birds with one stone Bryan slammed his foot down onto the protruding stake forcing it farther into the woman's chest. Beneath her Matthew let out a howl of pain as the wood slowly began to pierce his chest. When the stake would go no farther Bryan picked up the crossbow that he'd lost some time in the struggle and loaded an arrow. He aimed carefully before he shot the arrow, the momentum sending it through the woman's chest and to the approximate placement of the other vampire's heart. When he heard a choked gasp he knew his aim to be true, watching as the man died before his eyes.

The teen stood admiring his work for a moment before a shout from over where Spencer was fighting caught his attention. It seemed that while the vampire had been too preoccupied with trying to bite off his shoulder Spencer had pulled a knife from his back pocket and was now going about cutting off the creature's head.

* * *

While all that was going on Tala and Kai were rather busy with their own vampires who seemed intent on having them for breakfast. The leader still had his eyes set on the youngest of the two leaving Tala to the two underlings. Three on two weren't exactly the best odds and the sounds and swearing coming from the other end of the barn weren't all that encouraging either. The woman who the leader had identified as Natasha lunged at the redhead, fangs bared. From the corner of his eye he spotted the leader going after Kai and right then, a single thought went through his mind: 'If he dies, I'm fucking dead.'

Believe it or not, Kai's wellbeing caused the older Russian quite a bit of concern at times. Kai's parents could be a...a little protective at times. There had been great debate about whether or not their son would become a Hunter. Of course, in the end Kai's grandfather wouldn't have had it be any other way if he had any say in the matter— which of course he did. So in end, Kai had been permitted to finish up his training and go about becoming a real Hunter. And when he'd decided that he'd be joining Tala the redhead had gotten a warning. Kai could get hurt, it was only natural in their line of work, and getting a _little _maimed was to be expected eventually. But death? That was completely off the table. The words 'death' and 'Kai' were never even to be spoken in the same sentence. It was just...not allowed.

And that meant that when shit hit the fan, it was Tala's ass on the line. Because despite his best attempts to prove otherwise, Kai's grandfather loved him. Like, would-kill-unsuspecting-gingers _loved_ him. And so Tala knew that he'd rather face down three vampires singlehandedly than tell Voltaire Hiwatari that his grandson was dead. Because Voltaire was one scary ass motherfucker. So it was with this thought in mind that Tala decided that he needed to finish off the two vampires facing him down so that he could go make sure that Kai didn't get killed and thus also insured his own safety.

A stake was clutched tightly in his hand as he dodged a punch that was aimed for his face. With a swing of his arm Natasha had a lovely new cut across her face to match her blood stained shirt. He easily swept her feet from underneath her sending the woman crashing to the floor in a flurry of hair and fangs. The other vampire seemed to take a steadying breath before he held up his fists in a classic boxing stance. Tala stopped for a moment as the man shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"_Seriously_?"

The vampire nodded as he suddenly threw out a punch, nearly catching Tala in the jaw.

The redhead grabbed the pale wrist and twisted it back smirking at the cracking sound it made. Before the other could recover he pulled back his other fist, stake still clutched tightly and ploughed into the man's face. The wood bit into his hand no doubt sending slivers into his skin but the hiss of pain coming from the vampire was enough to make him forget the stinging. He followed up with a knee to the stomach watching as the vampire dropped to the ground.

"You're no fucking Rocky," he chuckled as he plunged the stake into the man's back sending his hunched figure slamming into the dirt covered floor. The man let out a moan.

"Huh. Guess I hit one of your ribs," Tala noted as he pressed harder, almost feeling the bone splinter under the force.

"Oh well."

With another hard push the rib gave way sending the stake straight into the vampire's heart. The Russian rolled his shoulders as he turned to stare down at Natasha who was looking up at him with horror in her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," the redhead laughed as he pulled another stake from his belt. "I'm not the monster here."

* * *

Kai was a little perturbed with the look that the leader was giving him. It was rather similar to a hungry man looking upon a well prepared roast. Being compared to food, or taking its place as the case may be, wasn't exactly high on his 'To Do' list. First the squirrel and now a vampire. It just _really _wasn't his day.

Feeling a little nervous the youngest of the Russians was the first to attack, sending a splash of Holy Water into the other's eyes. The man swerved to the side, saving his face but not his arm.

"You have quite beautiful eyes," the monster in the guise of a man purred, ignoring the sound and smell of smouldering flesh. "I'd love to eat them."

Kai sighed as he worked up the effort to glare. No matter how many times someone threatened to eat you, there was just no getting used to it. Unfortunately for Kai, the leader towered over him giving the pair a rather David and Goliath like appearance. The man licked his lips and Kai had to work to keep the disgust from his face. He took a step back to keep some space between them but the vampire just continued to follow after him. Kai huffed, rather frustrated and just a little bit uncomfortable with the way he was being eyed. He pulled a stake from his belt, the wood warming slowly in his hand.

"Does the little Hunter think he can fight?" The leader taunted as he took another step forward.

The teen glared up at his opponent before he launched himself into the vampire's stomach, knocking him off his feet. During the tumble the leader managed to wrap one hand around Kai's wrist and the other around his neck.

"You're practically a baby I suppose," the man observed. "Even to humans."

Kai growled as he tried to wrestle his hand free while his other was clawing at the hand around his neck.

"But young blood always tastes the best."

The vampire tossed blond hair out of his eyes, and from his close proximity Kai could just make out light freckles that dusted his cheeks that were probably ruminants of the man's human years. The Russian ground out a curse as the hand around his neck tightened almost completely cutting off his air supply.

"You look so good in blue," the vampire chuckled.

Kai tried to work his fingers under the man's grip but found that he couldn't manage it. A pair of glowing eyes stared into his and with only a moment's hesitation he drove his thumb into the vampire's right eye. The man let out a yell at Kai dug his thumb in, grimacing at the feeling. The hand around his neck suddenly shoved him away, toppling the teen onto the ground. The Russian took his opportunity and leapt forward, driving a stake into the man's heart. The vampire choked for a moment being going still, blood covering the side of his face.

Kai sighed as he wiped his hand off on the dead man's shirt before he stood noticing that everyone else seemed to be alive as well.

A sudden, still silence fell over the barn as the four Hunters brushed themselves off, surrounded by the corpses of the fallen vampires. Bryan rubbed at his bruised neck as he picked up a stray knife and walked toward the middle of the barn.

"Let's find the bodies and get the hell out of here. They're going to start stinking once it gets hot."

Tala nodded in agreement looking rather relieved that Kai was alright and that no one had lost a limb. Spencer grimaced as he pulled a pearly tooth from his shoulder where the vampire had bitten him.

"You should make a necklace with it or something," Bryan suggested as he helped him up.

The blond glared down at his friend but pocketed the tooth none the less. "So...should we call the cops?"

"And say what?" Kai asked.

"I don't know. We should leave an anonymous tip."

"Just leave it," the youngest said, brushing off the idea. "Someone will find them eventually. If we want to return the bodies of the victims we're going to have to phone in anyway."

"I suppose," Spencer sighed.

Bryan stalked from the barn not taking the time to avoid stepping on one of the bodies as he went. The farm was built on a few acres of land and logic said that the victims would be buried somewhere away from the trees and their ever growing roots. Properly ditching a body was actually a bit of an art form. Tree roots had a way of unearthing things that were better left hidden and God save you if you happened to bury the body near a water main or power line. It was always better to steer clear of any area that required work crews to come in or where someone was likely to develop the land. Which meant private property was generally the choice location as long as you avoided the area near the septic tank if there happened to be one.

The four Hunters set out searching the ground for upturned soil, the sun now beating down on them. As the humidity continued to increase they continued on in their search. It would take the better part of three hours for them to finally find where the bodies of the now ten victims were buried. Bryan was left to carefully exhume the bodies of the two children wrapped delicately in layers of white cloth. He cautiously lay the small packages down beside their fellow victims beneath the shade of an old oak to protect them from the baking sun.

"Réquiem ætérnam dona," Tala began, the Latin prayer having been memorized since his childhood.

He continued on, the others joining in softly as they prayed for the peace of those whom they had failed to save. Being a Hunter could be very rewarding at times. But there was nothing more devastating than knowing that you hadn't been able to save the people that you'd promised to protect the minute you'd committed yourself to the job.

"Amen." Four voices chanted in unison.

Kai pulled out his phone as they began the long walk back to the car so that he could call the police and leave a tip about the farm and the missing people. And when he hung up, their job was done.

* * *

Instead of staying in the town another night the group made the collective decision to move on and continue towards their destination. By the evening the Burmingham was long behind them and they were getting closer and closer to Kingsview. The car was mostly silent given that Bryan had once again fallen asleep and with Kai sitting in the back and Tala in the front with Spencer driving everyone was rather content for the first few hours. It was almost quarter to four when Tala finally saw fit to break the silence.

"How much do we know about this Kingsview job?"

Kai who had been dozing off opened his eyes to look over at the redhead.

"There've been some omens. Crops failing, electrical storms and the like. I guess Polanski was out there a few months back and felt something brewing."

When Kai said Polanski he was talking about none other than Oliver Polanski; one of the best demon trackers in the business. Now, he wasn't the most capable Hunter when it came to most creatures, but he had a special gift when it came to tracking demons.

"Of course the minute he figured it out he got his ass out of there and called Robert who then called me."

"Alright, but what does he think we're dealing with?" Spencer asked, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of them.

"He said that there were _at least_ five already in town. But you know how large numbers tend to draw even more. If it's not dealt with soon it could turn out rather badly."

And when he said rather badly he meant horribly.

"He's been out of cell reception for a few weeks now but I can try and get a hold of him again to get the specifics."

"That Sounds good."

"So Kai," Tala suddenly started as Spencer fell silent, turning in his seat to stare back at the younger Russian. "I saw the way that guy was looking at you."

"Who?" the teen yawned as he leaned back in his seat, trying to keep comfortable with Bryan's feet in his lap.

"That vampire you were fighting. He was practically perving on you if I do say so myself. Which I do," he added.

"What?"

"Tala," Spencer tried to cut in, imagining the violence that was sure to come.

"No he wasn't," Kai growled. "You're a fucking idiot."

"The guy was practically hitting on you. Oh, you're _beautiful_ eyes," the redhead laughed pretending not to notice the warning looks Spencer was giving him.

"Shut the hell up," the younger muttered, still rather disturbed with how the leader had stared at him.

"He was so coming on to you."

"He wanted to _eat me_!" Kai yelled, shoving Bryan's feet away from himself and leaning forward as far as his seatbelt would allow.

"What the fuck are you arguing about _now_," Bryan groused as he sat up.

"Kai is completely denying the fact that that vampire was in to him."

The lavender haired teen considered it for a moment before shrugging. "He _was_ looking at you in that sort of way," he admitted as he smirked at the youngest of their group.

"He wanted to fucking _EAT_ me!"

"Oh, I bet he did," Tala howled, his comment making Bryan choke on air and Kai flush a cherry red.

"You're such an asshole!"

Ah. Friendship.

**TBC?**


End file.
